Dr. S. Ann Earon, President, Telemanagement Resources Int’l Inc. and founding Chairperson of IMCCA, stopped to talk with us at about some emerging trends and her role in this year’s InfoComm. She gave us some great insights into what’s emerging in the AV Market, and some surprises she’s found throughout the show.

“I think the surprise is that we’re finally getting it. I think that video is becoming a no longer ‘nice to have’, it’s a necessity to have. I think everyone is getting to the point now where they don’t look at video conferencing, per say, but all of the collaboration that goes around it. ‘How can I communicate best with people using my AV, my IT, using my rooms and my technology?’”

Dr. Earon also gave three classes during her time at InfoComm, including an Emerging Trends day, an AV and IT presentation, and the State of the Industry Lunch and Learn.

“I want them [my audience] to understand the end-user. I want them to not only push technology, and what’s happening and what’s great, but to think about the audience,” She said.

Dr. Earon says there is a huge disconnect between the end-user and the organizations in business, academia and government.

“Businesses are moving very fast, and the people handling the technology can’t keep up with the business. So, I think they need to step back and say ‘what do the end users really need?’, and be more attune to the end user requirements, more than the technology requirements,” she said.

The strides from last year’s event to this year’s event show some shifts in the industry, from implementing video practices in business, to artificial intelligence within the AV industry.

“I think with regards to the AV space, all of the consumers are looking for the best way of doing things most efficiently and effectively. We’ve always had the silos of: education, government, healthcare and that’s not going to change. I think they’re all looking for the best way to communicate with our audience,” Earon believes.